Vikings on the road, mercenaries who will do anything, a band of brothers with a sworn loyalty oath, tenth century adventurers, relic hunters who double as murderers – these are the Oathsworn. They are Vikings with a bloodlust for money and adventure. If there’s a public establishment anywhere along the whale road then surely these miscreants have drinken and whored and possibly murdered their way under the table, over the bar and out the door. It’s a fine day indeed in the year 965 A.D. or thereabouts when rumor of Oathsworn arrivals strike fear in the hearts of maidens and their families as they pray the demonic gang actually have a job to accomplish and aren’t looking to pillage a village just because it’s there. These are marauders who need direction.

If not chasing relics or searching for long lost legendary treasures, Oathsworn mercenaries will scrap and bite and stab in the perfect expression of their contrarian birthright as Vikings on the true path to hell. If defecating and fornicating is your game, then these bastard sons of God-only-knows what pedigree will awaken the savage Viking hidden away inside even the most polite reader of violent historical fiction. Stand back and check yourself if you find your mind being pierced by the wanderlust, the bloodlust, and every other kind of lust protrayed in these pages drenched in fluids unmentionable. Keep these books away from your women if you value anything you hold dear. This is a man’s world and to think they might discover its truth will only cause trouble and strife in your happy, safe world.

The Whale Road

Orm narrates this first in the series. He is stolen away from his snowy Norway home by his long lost father and ends up on the Viking ship Fjord-Elk filled with the Oathsworn. This fey boy must become savage to survive this new circumstance in which he finds himself. He’s never seen such fighting before and to grow up immediately is not fast enough. He violently lurches his way to adulthood virtually overnight on board this ship crammed full of post-adult outlaws. Orm proves himself though and takes the oath and becomes one of them, know as Bear-slayer, the name earned by dumb violence. Why would there be a polar bear on board and how did it get loose? Ah, ah, mysteries for sure. Just know the reasons are not pure. Orm could only wish he did not earn that name for it makes him a target for every loner and loser looking to prove himself and put a notch on his belt.

Things aren’t what they used to be in the year 965 of our Lord. Belief in the Norse gods of yore are fading like the open flaps on the pants of our notorious heroes. All across Europe, word of the new and different “White Christ” is spreading everywhere and drawing wondering inquiries into the mystery lord. The sword that is thought to have killed the White Christ has become an object that is believed to be of immense value to the followers of this new religion and to those with power who wish to keep it from spreading.

The Oathsworn are hired to search and steal this sword of importance. Their malignant quest leads them in search for the tomb of Attila, yes, that Hun we all know and love but was hated back then because of all the plundering for which he bears responsibility. It is Attila’s sword that is believed to have dispatched with cruel violence the White Christ. Treasures are buried in his spooky crypt as are the unsanctified curses of the dead and the Oathsworn are hot to get there.

The reader will need to refill his shot glass as the Fjord-Elk and its crew of bad actors take to the sea route known as the whale road heading east. Make sure your glass is securely held in place in case one of the many elbows or clubs or punches inscribed herein fly off the page and knock over that groggy drink onto your precious and unstained pantaloons.

The Wolf Sea

The second in the series has Orm having lost the Rune Serpent Sword he thieved in the first book. Oh yeah, Orm can read Latin which, surprise of surprises, none of the other Oathsworn can read. This is where Orm’s value lies with his smelly bastard comrades. And the sword contains much scrawling that only Orm can read. He becomes their leader and heavy is the head with the crown he never wanted but through stupid, dubious luck, is thrust upon him. And there’s plenty of thrusting in this second volume, as if that could possibly be in any doubt at this point.

The quest for the sword resumes on the wolf sea and the exotic locales along the way may make the travel agents in reader land drool over the possibilities of cold calling potential clients with tales of high adventure on ships of grime and crime. But this ain’t no love boat. Orm trusts those who he should not. Orm engages in political intrigues in the far-flung cities of Constantinople and Jerusalem. Some of his comrades have been enslaved and he seeks to free them. Human decency is abandoned in the pursuit of revenge.

There are fights galore in deserts, Mediterranean back alleys, Holy Land cathedrals and any place inappropriate brutality could be played out with upheavals most vicious. This isn’t just a silly backwoods feud between rival gangs. This is full-fledged war between armies of mercenaries. There are Bedouins, Greeks and Vikings of course, all battling for a piece of whatever they are after. Back-stabbing, both visceral and political, empty the pages of any hint of diplomacy that could never work in this world. The Oathsworn show much treachory and cunning in their dealings with the fools who engage them in negotiation, soon to be followed by fisticuffs and worse. It’s a good thing Attila the Hun is in his grave for this one, for even he may blanch at the lack of discretion displayed here. He had power and overwhelming numbers that made his adversaries back down and disappear. There’s no backing down here by anyone.

Rather than announce an upcoming book, we're paying tribute to our most popular author of the year from a survey we did. That author is Louise Penny, who writes the Inspector Gamache books. Trust me when I say this - this is a tremendous serious about a Chief Inspector in Quebec. Buy it for yourself, buy it as a gift - but get the first book in the series, Still Life and see why it's our most popular book series. Read more about it.

Recommendations

Every 2 weeks we send out an e-mail with 6-8 Book Recommendations. We'll base this on various factors for example "If you like Jack Reacher..." or "If you like short stories in the horror genre". Insert your e-mail below to start getting these recommendations.

MISSING A BOOK?

I do my best to make sure the book lists are complete and current, but due to human or machine error while attempting to keep 3000+ authors up to date, the occasional book can be missed or will be listed under an alternate title. If you see one missing just send me an e-mail below. Thanks!

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Featured Series

Our character of the month is Inspector Armand Gamache. We know people are looking for gifts for others this time of year - so make it easy. Get someone hooked on our most popular series! Seriously I don't mean to beat a dead horse but try this series out!

Featured Author

Our author of the month is the Canadian author Louise Penny We’re paying tribute to Louise this month. Her Gamache series is simply incredible and each book just gets better. If you haven’t read it yet – start now!

Did You Know…

Besides short story and novel writing, Clive Barker has been actively involved in screenwriting and film production. His early screenplays include Underworldand Rawhead Rex but after witnessing the disappointing picturization of his work, Barker went on to discover the art of filmmaking on his own. He produced The Forbidden and Salome to lukewarm response. He also directed several of the stories from The Book of Blood. Two of his acclaimed major motion pictures include Candyman series and the Hellraiser.